Tuesday 4 June 2013 05.33 EDT
First published on Tuesday 4 June 2013 05.33 EDT

Chinese censors have rejected a cut of the Brad Pitt zombie apocalypse movie World War Z, adding to the financial pressures on a film that has already undergone expensive reshoots and seen its budget balloon to a reported $200m, reports the Wrap.

The move will come as a blow to Universal, which had already removed a line about the film's zombie plague originating in the world's most populous nation from the final cut in deference to local sensitivities. The studio said it had not yet heard back from China. The Wrap quotes an executive close to China's state-run decision-making structure confirming the decision was made a week ago. "It definitely got rejected the first time. It has not been cleared," the source reportedly said.

Hollywood is increasingly targeting China, a country where scores of new cinemas are being built every month, in its efforts to increase box office revenue. Earlier this year the nation surpassed Japan as the world's second-largest cinema audience and is due to overtake the US in 2020 on current projections. Rules governing the number of foreign imports that can be screened in China have been relaxed in the past couple of years, but state censorship of Hollywood fare remains restrictive. Nevertheless, US blockbusters Man of Steel, Pacific Rim, After Earth, White House Down and Fast & Furious 6 are all reportedly set to debut this year.

World War Z could yet find its way past censors to secure a release. A Universal spokesman said: "We have submitted one version and have yet to receive a response."

Starring Pitt, Mireille Enos, Bryan Cranston and Matthew Fox, World War Z is an apocalyptic horror directed by Marc Forster and based loosely on the novel by Max Brooks. Originally due for release in December, the film has undergone extensive reshoots after producer Pitt made the dramatic, not-to-mention-expensive move of calling in Lost's Damon Lindelof to rewrite the entire third act. It will now hit cinemas on 21 June in both the US and the UK.